Requiem
by Rubicon 9 Of Hearts
Summary: "You really wish for this?" "Yes. Please, do it. I don't care how, just do it." A wish from within the darkness is granted, but when the cycle begins again, can two friends grasp the reality and shatter fate? Every wish has its price.
1. Wish

**When ever I try and write/finish a chapter to one of my stories, another one pops into my head. Oh well. This new one wandered in and has started to take over. I'm already up to chapter 3, so I'm gonna do the very best that I can with this.**

**Oh, one more note. This story was mainly inspired by the very lovely ElliotLeo works by Sin2A4S-in on DA, and by the very elegant poems/stories of Edgar Allan Poe.**

**All I can say is, every wish has its price.**

**I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way.**

Prologue: Wish

The pain that erupted in his midsection, spreading like a shockwave across his frail body, was nearly unbearable. Crimson blood seeped out of the wound inflicted upon him and soaked through his formal clothes, staining the grey jacket with the red color that flowed through his veins.

Purple eyes, so dark that they were nearly black, were wide with the shock of what had transpired in the time frame of a second. However, to the noirette, that split second moment had seemed much longer than a single second.

Chains flashed. Blood splattered into the air. The blond looked on in horror.

A second; That's how long it took.

Leo Baskerville, the young heir to the Baskerville clan and the next container for Glen Baskerville's soul, fell backwards as the chain recoilded away. His body quickly met the hard ground, only adding more to his pain. Around him the world had blurred and the noirette could already feel blood pooling around him and seep into his mouth, drizzling out of a corner and down his pale cheek.

"W-why...?" A voice stammered in horror, virutally stunned by what he had done. "Why did you do that, Jack?"

_'Oz-kun?'_ The now disjointed thoughts of Leo wondered. _'You didn't mean that...did you?'_

There wasn't really anything else for him but to come to this conclusion; his breathing was becoming shallow and his poor heart pounded painfuly inside his chest. Small black dots had started to wander into his vision, mixing in with those cursed golden ones.

Leo couldn't move, and the blood continued to flow, staining the green grass.

_'Is this it?'_ He was losing all feeling, all hearing. _'Will I die here in the courtyard?'_

_"Stop this, Leo!"_

_'I couldn't even...'_

_"I'm sorry, Leo."_

_'...fufill my goal; elimiate the Intention of the Abyss.'_

_"I want you to be my servant."_

_'Elliot. Oh, Elliot...'_

He felt numb all over, and the darkness was threatening to consume him. But, even then, he didn't have the will to fight that.

This would be the end for Leo. There was still enough left in him to utter one word though.

"Sorry."

* * *

"Hello?" A young girl's voice called out. "Are you there?"

Someone was poking his forehead, which was quite iritating. It made him stir and crack one eye open.

At first, he didn't know who it was, but amidst the swirling golden lights, he reconized the person looking down upon him.

The Intention of the Abyss.

"You!" Leo gasped, his first insinct being to promtly blot upright, almost smacking heads with the girl. His action was stopped however as he felt a firey pain tear up through his torso, originating just below his ribcage. A sharp, and almost breathless, cry of pain escaped his lips and the noirette crashed back down to where he had laid.

"Don't get up." The Intention said softly, but almost monotone.

"Wh...where am I?" His voice rasped.

"Floating in dead space." She answered, turning her head away. "In between."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Then...am I...dead?"

"No, but horribly close to it, you selfish brat."

"Who are you calling a 'brat'?"

"Listen to me!" The Intention shouted, whipping back around. "I know of what you had planned, but, that aside, you have come here, and you can choose to ether die or to live. The only reason I have left my room and come to this emptiness between life and death is because I will grant whichever path you decide upon."

The two options swirled around in Leo's foggy mind. To die, or to live.

"You know, what that boy said was true." She spoke again. "You only wanted to destroy yourself."

_'Oh! That's right.'_ The memories of days gone by flashed by his eyes. _'Maybe...I do. If...if Elliot is gone, and I'm the one at fault...then...then...there's nothing left. Maybe I should die.'_

Just as his dark, and potentially suicidal, thoughts overtook his mind completely, a certain fact dawned upon him.

"What do you choose?" The Intention cooed.

"Wait! Intention of the Abyss!" Leo's voice croaked. "You grant...wishes, right?"

She glanced at him with eyebrows raised. "What makes you think I would?"

"You do." He continued. "Then I...I want you to grant my wish."

"Hmph. What do you want anyway?"

"I want him back."

The Intention couldn't helped but to be puzzled by this request. Never had she heard such a thing before.

"Please, I know of how you can grant wishes. So, I want him back. I want Elliot back."

"Elliot? You mean the young master who was demoned away by Humpty Dumpty?" She pondered aloud. "But he is long dead by no-"

"I know that, but hear me out!" His body throbbed with all this energy he was wasting, but he wanted her to hear this wish, even if it was out of a hopeless desperation. "Turn back time, make it so he never had that Chain that slaughtered his family."

"You really wish for this?"

Leo nodded weakly. "Yes. Please, do it. I don't care how, just do it."

His voice then gave out and he could say no more, only lay there, panting from exhaustion.

"Okay."

A spark of hope burst forth from within Leo at her answer. "You will?"

"I can do this, but, every wish comes with its price. I hope your prepared to face that reality."

"Thank you."

As he spoke those words, a light appeared in the black sky above Leo, nearly blinding him, but to a point that he had to shut his eyes. He had still lost consciousness though, but his wish was about to be granted.

Like the Intention said though, every wish comes with a price.


	2. Before

**Meh...it's Monday. Only one week left till I have to go back to school -_-**

**I do not own Pandora Hearts or the quote bellow in any way.**

_Convinced myself, I seek not to convince._

Chapter 1: Before

"Wake up already."

"Wha...?"

I didn't really feel like moving from my spot, but that oh-so-familiar voice made my eyes flutter open, everything still blurry from underneath my long bangs that covered my eyes. I took notice of the fact that I was laying covered in soft flannel sheets. The pillow was pressed up against my face, which wasn't that odd; I ether sleep laying on my back or with my face buried in a pillow. Seems like this time it had been the latter.

I prop myself up on my elbows and lift my head from the pillow. I know the voice came from next to me, and when I turn my line of sight towards the person sitting there I could have almost sworn I was dreaming.

Elliot; he was here as plain as day.

_'Elliot?'_ My heart suddenly started to beat the tiniest bit faster as I struggled to comprehend this. _'Are you...really here? Alive and not...'_

_"I will grant your wish."_

It all came rushing back, the recollections of another time, another place. Elliot had died, and I soon after floated in between those realms. That girl appeared to me then, the one I sought to destroy. Once I had remembered in that darkness of what she could do, I had begged, oh so desperately begged, for her to grant a wish that had been locked down deep inside my heart.

I wished for her to give me back the one person I desired the most.

Before then, I had been so lost inside myself, because it had been my fault in the first place. Back then, it was my fault. My own existence had sentenced Elliot to death. After that dark night painted with blood, everything went downhill. I was plagued with nightmares in which I would relive that night, or wander around the Nightray manor, searching for something. All in all, Elliot would haunt me. During the day, I kept slipping further and further into madness, even hallucinating at times (I swear, one time I heard his voice). My health had also taken a turn for the worst, growing weak with each passing day, and it was even worse with people interrogating me constantly throughout the daylight hours.

Vincent had taken me from Pandora, but it didn't make a difference. When Vincent told me of all those things, me being the heir to the Baskervilles as 'Glen', and then...Elliot's last words...it made me shatter into even more tiny shards. He then cut my hair, and...I guess that's when I took to it myself.

It hurt, and I thought that's what I needed to atone for everything; feel the pain. But no matter how much blood flowed, no mater how many scars that formed, it wasn't the way to go. The only way to let this correct itself was...

Destroy everything.

I shook my head slightly, shutting my eyes tightly again. What...had I been thinking?

"Leo?" A hand was placed onto my shoulder. "What's wrong?"

What had I possibly have been thinking back then? I had sworn I'd never be them, because I hate them,the Baskervilles, but in the end I became like them.

"Sorry." My voice hoarsely whispered.

"Leo." Another hand placed itself underneath my chin and tilted my head up. "What are talking about?"

Elliot, he's right here, looking at me with those lovely ice blue eyes. If he's here, then...the Intention of the Abyss really did hear my cries and granted my wish.

Time has been reversed and our lives fixed to be as they should.

"Nothing, Elliot." I said figuring I had kept him waiting far too long. "It was just something from a dream."

"Hmm. Well, get up, we need to leave soon."

I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes, stretching my arms and letting out a deep yawn. "Got it."

"Oh, and after our classes are done with for today, you are cleaning all those books off your bed." I looked over at said bed in question, mounds of books stacked high. "That is the last time you sleep in my bed with me. People will get the wrong idea."

Really, I couldn't help but to chuckle. "No problem Elly~"

"Don't call me by my nickname."

Oh, classic Elliot.

* * *

"Did you sleep well last night?" I asked Elliot as we walked along. Yes, things had been changed, but I couldn't be too careful.

"What do you mean?" My master retorted. "I slept just fine."

"Okay." Yes, it was just as I thought. "Just wondering."

"What about you? How have you been faring?"

"Eh?" I glanced up at him, confused.

"I mean, I know you stay up late reading, and you do get nightmares sometimes." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"I was alright, thank you."

Yes, everything was back to normal. Elliot wasn't suffering from anymore nightmares, and he appeared to be doing alright. This could only mean that he was never contracted to the Chain that took him from everyone in the first place. That aside I could finally get back to my normal life with Elliot, my one true friend and master.

In light of that, this new path was also a chance for me to recover. Elliot wouldn't have a clue, but inside this weak body of mine, I am healing. All the things that happened then, all the madness that took hold of me and all that darkness that had sprouted in my heart, I will be healing from the damage it has caused.

I didn't know what I was doing, I was out of my head. I had gone against everything I lived for, attacked the ones I cared about. Never again can I let that happen.

It might take a while, but I will heal. I will not fall prey to that which roots have been pried off my soul.

"Hey, Elliot, I was thinking, after our classes, why don't we head off to the library, or play some piano together." I suggested, my thoughts wandering off into the care free times that we could now get back.

"How about we get those books cleared off your bed first?" Elliot shot back, taking up this idea instead.

"Then will you help me?" I was just playing along at this point.

"Wha-? Why? I was actually gonna go sharpen my skills with this sword of mine." He tapped the case slung over his shoulder, where he kept the sleek black blade, to prove it.

"Well, if you insist on me finding a free space for the books, then I would be grateful if you were to help me out. Then, I'll accompany you to the fencing hall."

"Speaking of which, I need to get you to be able to use a sword."

I sighed. "I have no use for one," I dropped my voice to a whisper and shifted my steps a little closer to Elliot. "Not when I have this gun in my back pocket."

I took back to my original position and smiled, satisfied with myself. I just prayed that nothing would spoil this pure day.

Elliot suddenly sighed with a slight annoyance. "Fine, I'll help you."

"That's the spirit, Elliot~!"

Yup, like before, everything was peaceful.

Everything would be all right.

* * *

"My, my, Elliot, I was sure you would of dragged me off to the fencing hall."

"Well, if you just wanted to come here first to get more books to stack on your bed, the we _are_ going to the fencing hall!"

I laughed lightly as I took another book. "Don't worry, I'll put these beside the bed this time."

"Whatever." Elliot grumbled in complaint.

When I was satisfied with the few books stacked in my hands I turned back to Elliot. "Say, am I still allowed to accompany you to Sablier when we go back?"

Much to my surprise, Elliot stiffened at my question. His eyes looked away from me.

I frowned. _'That's odd.'_

"Elliot? Something wrong?"

That had managed to snapped him out of his wandering. "Huh?"

"Well, it would be nice to see the children again. They very well enjoy your company as well as mine."

"Oh, yeah! Sure, of course you'll be able to come along." Apparently then, he decided to change the subject. "Go sign out those books so we can head off to the fencing hall."

_'Elliot.'_

"Is something troubling you, Elliot?" I asked once I had checked out my new books and we set out towards the fencing hall again.

"No." He bluntly replied.

"But, Elliot, when I brought up Sablier, you-"

"It's nothing of your concern!" He yelled, turning around sharply to face me, making me, in turn, stop dead in my tracks.

"Um, I...sorry." I half muttered, trying to say at least something.

My master looked down at me for a moment, then ran a hand through his hair. "Urgh, I'm sorry. My father/siblings still don't approve of you, remember?"

"Of course. I think it's blatantly obvious they don't approve."

"My father still doesn't want you going to Sablier with me, even after I explained how much those kids mean to you." Elliot explained, looking a bit sullen. "He knows I'll refuse in the end, so...don't worry about it."

A worthy explanation indeed, yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than he was letting on.

"Nothing else?" I continued.

"Leo, there's nothing more to it." Hmm. He was becoming tense again.

"Elliot, if there's something else-"

"There is nothing more!"

That did it. He said nothing more to me as he stormed off to the fencing hall, myself trailing silently behind.

What had I possibly have done to upset him? He may have given me an answer, but, I wasn't convinced just yet. Even when I continued on with this, he still got mad.

Something tells me that there's more to this topic than what I'm getting.

Oh, I can just let this slide for now. For now, I'll just enjoy this peace, before anything else can happen that might ruin it.


	3. BloodRed Madness

**Know what I hate about mornings? You want to fall back asleep. That aside, I have a new chapter here for ya'! I love writing out nightmares, so try and guess who's this one is~**

**I do not own Pandora Hearts or the quote below in any way.**

_It was night, and the rain fell; and falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood._

Chapter 2: Blood-Red Madness

I could hear the crackling of flames all around me. I could feel the heat radiating all around.

The smell of smoke made it's way into my lungs, making me cough violently. I hated smoke, it would always try and choke me.

I had to open my eyes, and when I did, a horrible sight lay out before me.

Fire, smoke, and blood.

I didn't know what in the world was going on and I took a step back in fear. My mouth opened to speak, perhaps let out a frightened cry, but I was unable to do that and I was just taking in the scene with horror plastered all over my face. I ended up coughing once more though, my poor lungs not being able to take being assulted by smoke.

I now took notice that I felt something wet on my face. Putting one hand up, I touched that spot to find that it was blood. Horrifiled I saw that it was all over my clothes too, and...

There was a sword in my hand, tainted with blood. The gold handle and the silver blade both dyed by the crimson fluid. It was all over the tassel that hung off the sword too.

"Help..."

A voice echoed out into the fire suddenly, not my own, but someone else's

Without wasting another moment, I rushed off to find the source of it, running through the smoke filled halls, the curtains burning, along with anything else.

"Please help...anyone, please...!"

There was that voice, one that sounded all too familar. An opening appears, but when I reach it, my breath catches in my throat.

Bodies were strewn across the ballroom.

My stomach lurched at seeing the bodies and the amount of blood that painted everything, a hand going to my mouth instantly. I could barely stand the sight of this, my legs now shaking with fright. This was worse than 'that time', much, much worse.

Where had that voice come from though? It sounded too familar, and so close, yet so far away. I need to find it.

Slowly, and hesitantly I started to walk through the bloodied ballroom. I tried my hardest not to look at the people lying dead at my feet, mainly becuase I became queasy just from even glancing at one. But, if I was to make my way through to the other side of the ballroom, I had to step over some of them, which meant looking down at their mlutilated forms.

A wave of silent relief passed over me when I reached the other side, but I dropped to my knees then, the sword slipping from my grasp and clattering to the floor. The amounnt of carnage in this burning place was starting to get to me.

Out beoynd me, I suddenly hear a sound; the sound of someone breathing, gasping for air almost.

I turn my eyes up, and I see a stairwell. There is also a person there, staggering over to the staircase. They're dressed in a black and white suit, but I can clearly see blood, which worries me greatly for some reason.

"Hey, are you-" I start, but the person lets out a violent cough and collapses. "Hey!"

I jump up on my feet and rush over to the person, but it's only when I kneel down beside them that nostalgia and realization hit me at the same time.

"You are..."

Eyes open and look up at me. Lips part, and I can't hear what they say, only try and read the name mouthed on their lips.

... It's my name.

"No, please don't speak, I have to get you out of here."

Their eyes close again and their head rolls to the side. I stare at them for a moment before tears come to my eyes and I shut them to make the tears go away, but I get a tingleing sensation in my hands, which then spreads to the rest of my body. My eyes open to see what is going on, but...

The person before me is gone and I'm back in the ballroom, dead bodies surounding me.

The blood-stained sword is still in my hand.

* * *

I could barely contain the scream that was trying to release itself from my throat. I bolted forward in bed, breath hitched instantly. My eyes franticly looked around the room, and I found that I wasn't in that place where every room was set aflame and instead in my normal dark room.

_'Just a dream.'_ I convinced myself. _'Just a dream...'_

With sweat rolling down my forehead and my heart now returning to its normal pace, I fell back, my head slaming against the pillows.

I looked over at the person in the other bed, kind of seeking some comfort from such a frightening dream, but I found my friend was fast asleep. His chest rose and fell evenly, probably in a peaceful slumber at that.

_'Good thing you're enjoying your sleep.'_ I quietly remarked.

Trying by best to snuggle into the comfy sheets, I couldn't shake those images from my head. A small part of me was afraid to go back to sleep.

I don't think I would be sleeping anymore tonight.


	4. Exhausted

**I can't believe I was up at 1:00AM reading up on news about the newest Pandora Hearts chapter. The end made me laugh a bit. I'm just happy the raws are finally out (for those with a livejournal). Now, back to drawing.**

**Ah yes. There will be a new charcter intoduced that may play a bigger part later on. Thanks to Tomoshibi-Chan for the reveiw~**

**I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way.**

Chapter 3: Exhausted

One could say that, the following morning after the day when everything had started over, I had barely eaten anything for breakfast. Actually, I did eat, just not much, not that I do anyway (Elliot sometimes complains that I don't eat enough). I had chosen two small pieces of French toast, coating them with sweat, thick maple syrup. I found it amusing to see Elliot gawk at such a thing. It made me laugh inside, unbeknownst to my master. Speaking if Elliot, he had picked an omelet and a simple piece of toast.

The conversation during that time together, it was very normal, in our case anyway. In fact, I nearly smacked him upside the head when he, yet again, complained about the amount of syrup on my French toast, saying, in his own words, that "There's so much that it's overflowing off the plate, you idiot!". The French toast was rather good. I remember, back when I lived in the House of Fianna, it was regarded as a rare treat. Even after I was adopted by Elliot, I still enjoyed it's warm flavor. None the less, I savored it.

Anyways, getting back to the current topic, I only ate probably half of the French toast, seeing as how I became full quite quickly. Like I said, I never ate much anyway. There was nothing wrong, it's just that I wasn't very hungry. Elliot still complained about me poking my half-eaten meal though.

Another thing was that I was feeling unnaturally tired. Elliot, knowing him, had probably noticed by now, silently concerned for my wellbeing. He didn't need to worry, it might have been because I stayed up late reading. This feeling would probably leave later on anyway, even though, the fact of the matter was I didn't even get the full 9-10 hours of sleep.

See, at times during the previous night, I was wondering what had gotten Elliot so riled up yesterday. Did I do something to make him mad by talking about going back to Sablier? Was there something else? What could he possibly have to hide? I don't know what I was thinking yesterday, silently convincing myself that Elliot was keeping something hidden from me. He wouldn't keep something important from me, even back then when he was suffering from those nightmares, he would whisper the contents of those dark visions to me, and the only thing I could of done was be there, telling him everything would be alright in the end.

Those memories of the past would haunt me, plague my mind, making me think that something was wrong. However, if that girl had truly granted my wish, then Elliot was alright and this worry was all in my head. He was no longer slowly dying because of that Chain that was supposedly meant to protect me. At least that ordeal was over.

Nightmares are truly terrifying themselves, aren't they. The last time I had one...well...it's a bit hard to think of. It was like a faded memory, one I had no recollection of. Are such things always half remembered?

As this day went on, I was enjoying the calm, yet trying my best to stay composed. That tiredness from earlier had been slowly growing like vines growing inside me, their invisible tendrils wrapping around me and making me immobile. I only made it worse very time I rubbed my sleepy eyes. To tell the truth, this was starting to become annoying, as well as overwhelming.

Finally, during 4th period, it was really starting to get to me.

"Hey, Leo." The voice of my master made me raise my head from its resting spot upon my hand, and face Elliot instead. "You okay?"

"Mmm? Yes, I'm fine." I answered. He didn't need to worry so much, I could handle this myself.

The class went on as usual, but I soon found that it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on my work. Now my eyelids had started to grow heavy. I noticed this right away, so I constantly, and silently, kept telling myself that I needed to stay awake. I had more important things to attend to, work had to be done. It wasn't enough though. Waves of dizziness had started to ail me and I think I'm feeling slightly feverish. Maybe I _had_ stayed up too late reading.

"Perhaps something is wrong." I muttered, rubbing the back of my head.

"Huh?" Oh, I guess Elliot heard me.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Holly." I spoke up.

"Yes, Leo-kun." The teacher replied.

"Um, may I go see the nurse? I'm not feeling too good."

"Of course."

"Leo?" Elliot hissed quietly. "What's with you?"

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon." I assured him. It was actually nice to know he cared. I guess I was a bit sleepy, even as I walked out of the classroom.

* * *

Three knocks on the wood door.

"Excuse me?" I asked as I opened to door, the slight _creak _following it.

"Oh, Leo~!" A cheery voice called back. A warm smile greeted me as I walked in, a single hazel eye glowing softly. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Mmm. It's always good to see you, Ivy." I replied. The girl set down her work that she had been doing and walked over to greet me with a curtsy.

"I see. Let me guess, Elliot got into another fight?"

"No. It's just me this time."

"Oh." She seemed slightly taken aback. "Okay then."

This girl here is Ivy Black, a good friend of mine and of Elliot as well. I don't think he would really acknowledge it, but the two of them are friends. She's about my height with a short head of strawberry-blond hair. Her real last name is unknown, but I do know that she was adopted by the Black family 4 or 5 years ago. During the day, she can be found here at times, assisting the nurse.

At times, it seems likely that she thinks me and Elliot are a couple. First off, no way; we're only really good friends. I don't really have any romantic feelings towards Elliot, my master. Second, I think she just uses this to cover up her obvious crush on me. It's obvious, even Elliot knows it, but I just pretend not to notice. Ivy is a nice, sweet girl, really, but I don't have any feelings like that for her ether; she's only a close friend, like Elliot. Besides, I think she's more Elliot's type. But I'm not sure about whether he likes her or not.

There is one last thing about her, but it's also the most peculiar. Apparently, she's always wearing an eye patch over her right eye, leaving the single hazel one showing. She's said once that she lost the other in an accident, but something seems off about that statement. I don't bother to push the subject any farther than that, because whenever someone asks Ivy about her right eye, she gets very flustered.

"Is something wrong?" She asks, looking over me carefully. "You don't look too well."

"If I wasn't, would I have come here?" I joked. "I just feel really tired as of late."

"Well, the nurse isn't here right now, but I'd be more than happy to tend to you."

"Always the greatful one, aren't you?"

A small blush came across her pale features. "Ah! I...I, um, yeah, of course!"

. . .

"Actually, you don't look too bad." Ivy concluded, sticking a thermometer in my mouth. Meanwhile, I sat in a chair, letting Ivy tend to me. "It would appear your temperature isn't too bad ether, just slightly elevated."

"Good." I say once she removes the thermometer.

"Have you been staying up late reading again?" She then questions.

"Oh, you know me~"

"Well, you haven't been out in the library at night, have you? It's cold in there."

"No. Just in my room with Elliot."

She was quiet for a moment before she spoke again, a smile spreading across her lips. "You know, if it were possible, there would be small, colorful flowers floating about you right now."

We both shared a laugh then, finding the fact about the flowers to be quite humorous.

"Okay, well, thank you very much, Ivy." I thanked her as I stood, giving her a nice bow.

"Anytime, Leo." She smiled. "Just make sure to get plenty of sleep tonight, okay?"

"I'll do my best~! Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go rejoin Elliot."

"Got it. I'll see you later then."

"See you around, Ivy."

* * *

Usually, I wasn't the one to worry about Leo, my servant, but apparently now, I was concerned about him. Leo wasn't usually the one to leave class without any warning ether.

_'What's taking him?' _I thought, now walking along to my next class. He really didn't look ill earlier, maybe he was still tired or something. After all, he does spend all night reading books, his only light being a dimly lit candle (and how many times have I told him to be careful with those unless he wants to burn the school down).

Actually, I am a bit worried. He did look a bit out of it, and it was never good for ether one of us if he was sick (same goes for me).

"Elliot!" I heard a voice call out from behind me. Turning around, I saw Leo run up towards me, looking a bit out of breath.

"Hey, calm down." I urged him, not wanting him to get so exhausted that he'd pass out right here in the hall.

"Sorry." He panted, joining me by my side. "Finally managed to catch up with you though."

"Yeah. Hey, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, Elliot. Like I told Ivy, I'm just feeling a tad bit sleepy."

Ivy, huh? A slight grin forms on my face. "Did she confess her love for you yet?"

"Please, I don't like her that way."

"Yeah, I know. That space-case of a girl is only a friend. Don't worry, I only think of her as a friend too."

"Gee, that's reassuring."

I sighed with a bit of annoyance. "Dammit, you're the one who started it."

And then Leo chuckled. "Oh, actually it was you."

"Whatever. come on, we need to get to our next class."

Latter on, we were in the library, Leo seemed to be doing better than before. Maybe he really was just feeling tired. Right now, sitting next to me, he was diligently taking notes, pausing once to yawn.

_'I'm glad you're okay.' _

I could understand why he would be feeling this way, I mean, what with him and those books after all. However, what if that wasn't really the case?

"Hey, Leo." My carefree servant turned his head to me. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Eh? Of course I did." He seemed to suddenly tense though. "Don't tell me you didn't."

Huh? Leo's voice sounded kind of...fearful. "I obviously did, idiot. You asked me the same question yesterday."

"Yes, yes. But, I hope I didn't anger you yesterday."

"About what?"

"When we talked about Sablier."

I froze instantly. You know, I had entirely forgotten about that conversation, up until this point of course. I was certainly not mad at him for that...was I? Leo knows as well as I do that my family doesn't like him all that much, but what do I care about what opinions they have about him? Never the less, I don't ever wish for Leo to not accompany me whenever I go to Sablier. It wouldn't be right to go without him.

"No, you didn't." I answered. "It's aright, really."

"Ah-ha." He lightly laughed. "That's a relief. Hey, do you know when we'll head back?"

"I think at the end of this week. Father has allowed me to come again, as usual."

"Good. I would like to see the children again."

"I bet." I replied, reaching a hand out and ruffling his hair.

"Ah!" Leo seemed surprised at this touch.

Okay, now things were better. We'd be going to Sablier in a few days too, so I guess I got him excited about that, even if he didn't show it.

Sablier.

Somehow, that name stirred some kind of concern within me. It was almost as if...it frightened me, like there was some bad memory there waiting to assail me. Well, since Sablier was now practically a huge slum now, it would make sense to have some kind of fear of it. I don't know how Leo managed to live in such a creepy place for 2 years before I took him in. At least he had a nice warm bed, food, a roof over his head, and most important (to Leo anyway)...books. The children too, they had become like family to Leo.

_'What am I thinking?'_ I wondered as I silently chuckled about this matter. _'There's nothing in Sablier to be afraid of.'_

Yeah, there was nothing there in Sablier that would give rise to fear within us.

Nothing at all.

Or at least what we knew of.


	5. Silent Wanderers

**Well, yesterday was about as interesting as...well...I don't know. I was stuck at a track meet till 3:00. Anyways, I'm glad I got this chapter done. New ideas for this are constantly flowing into my head. I'm taking a little break after this to work on my other fanfics, but I'm not quiting on this one.**

**I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way.**

Chapter 4: Silent Wanderers

Coincidently enough, I met up with Elliot and Leo later in the day. Leo seemed better, which was good. Yeah...that's...good. Hmm, I guess I'm still thinking about what he said, about me being the grateful type. A compliment, I'm sure. That makes me happy, especially coming from him, the ever so sweet book-worm, Leo. He was naturally like that anyway, unless you manage to anger him. He'll get really violent then, and it kind of scares me. Gradually though, he'll ease out of it and return to reading books or playing the piano.

Elliot and Leo we really good friends of mine, no doubt about it. However...there are some things that...I don't want them to touch upon.

I'm not like the others, I know that, the way everyone stares at me like I'm some freak, courtesy of the stupid eye patch. That is not my fault though. However, Elliot and Leo we the first to look at me with such calm demeanors. They became my friends, and that warmed me up. Yet...we all probably have something to hide. I do, of course, and I'm sure Elliot and Leo do. They are no exception of keeping secrets from one another.

Much later on, when the sun had started to set, I returned to my room. I closed the door an walked over to the window, unconsciously touching my eye patch, the plain black thing that covered my right eye.

And then, by the light of the setting sun and its glowing colors of fire...I took of the eye patch.

The string untied smoothly, and I had one hand catch the eye patch. I let out a breath of air as the light hit my right eye. It was as if I could practically feel the pupil shrinking and then readjusting to fit the output of light. Now that I was back in my room, no one could see my eye. I didn't have a room mate ether, so only here I could leave the eye patch off.

My elder sister, also adopted into the family, attended school here and had this room. She's gone now, graduated. Ironically I gained this room from her being here. She's off on more important things now, helping the family with many things. She had lived in the household long before me, so when I was adopted, she helped me settle in, and now she's like my best friend. Actually, my sister doesn't even know about my right eye.

My right eye is strong. It holds a special purpose.

. . .

A twitch, and suddenly I'm clutching my right eye, whimpering as I do so.

"Ngh...!" The pain fades after a moment and I slowly remove my hand.

_'That...was...' _I know what my thoughts are telling me, but I shake my head with doubt.

"That's not possible."

Trusting my right eye, I wander towards the door, but I stop as I reach for the door handle. I can't go out, not without my eye patch. Besides, I shouldn't be worrying about a petty thing like this that can't possibly be real.

In spite of myself, I couldn't help but to be worried. "There's not a Chain here, not in this place."

* * *

_(Three days later...)_

The sun rose as usual, but the unusual thing was that I just so happened to be the one that got up first.

"Leo, wake up, it's morning."

"Mph...5 more minutes." He mumbled, trying to hide from me by burring his face into the pillow.

"Don't you remember? We're supposed to go to Sablier after lunch, to the House of Fianna."

That seemed to get his attention, only slightly. "R-really? Today? I can come, right?"

I ended up face palming myself. "Yes, idiot."

"Okay. I'll be up soon."

Hmm. That's a bit strange. Leo usually doesn't sleep in, rather, he's up as early as he can be. Often, at Lutwidge, he would arise in the early hours of the day and would wake me up soon after, always saying that I needed to get ready or we would both be late for our classes. Ironic, I suppose, given his tendency to stay up late reading by candlelight. I, on the other hand, am usually the one that sleeps in. I figured he would be up extra early today, only because we were going to the House of Fianna, located in Sablier of course.

Is there something going on that I don't know about? Yet, I was figuring it was something like what had happened three days ago at Lutwidge (We had retuned home for the weekend). Back then, he'd seemed worn out, actually telling me at one point he was feeling unusually sleepy.

Nah, it can't be anything that bad. Leo isn't really the strongest person out there, so I wouldn't be surprised if his body requires more rest than most people.

"So, it will be during the afternoon, right?" Leo asked as he buttoned up his vest.

"Yeah, those kids are gonna be all over you." I said, standing off to the side.

"Remember, I was 'one of them'. They see me as their big brother."

"I take it you see them as younger brothers and sisters, then?"

"Of course." He smoothed out the winkles in his vest as he stood from the bed. "They'll certainly be glad to see me."

When he finished off his outfit with a white ribbon, we headed off to attended to various things. For example, I had a study of French to attend to, and Leo helped me out the whole while. Although, I snapped at him once because he corrected me every time I pronounced a single word the wrong way.

"Elliot, it's pronounced _horloge_."

"Argh! I know very damn well what it is!"

"Please, pronounce it correctly next time. Now, let's try it again."

Sigh. That's what I mean (did I mention horloge is French for clock?).

After that, if I remember correctly, Leo dragged me off to the library because there were some old books he wanted to dust off/reorganize. Seriously, that wasn't all that great and I'd rather be gardening. Leo took his sweet time about it too, dusting each book as if it were a rare artifact and the slightest touch would cause the book to fall apart until only dust remained. Who even dusts books anyways?

"Furniture is dusted. Pianos are dusted." I said at one point, rambling on. "Not books. It's unusual."

"Books require great care too, Elliot." Leo would say.

And guess what happened just before lunch. When we went outside while we waited for our meal to be ready, Leo took to looking at flowers and tending to them. Meanwhile, I sat by on a bench.

_'Geez, what a servant you are.' _I silently remarked. Although, it wasn't that abnormal for him. I think he secretly has a flower fetish.

My eyes caught sight of one particular flower though, which resulted in me saying, "The Stacie's are in bloom."

"What, Elliot?" He then saw the flowers too. "Oh my!"

I rolled my eyes as he jogged over to the flowers, smiling lightly all the while; truly smiling.

I'll admit it, when I first met him, he didn't smile much, but when I asked him to be my servant, he denied. Yes, that fool denied. However, then, the brightest and warmest smile I'd ever seen appeared on Leo's face and he held out his hand to me, calling me 'master'. The deal was sealed that day, and he does not refer to me as 'master', which doesn't bother me any. Strangely enough, he seemed to be smiling much more now, more than ever before.

_'I like to see you smile.'_

"Aren't they just beautiful, Elliot."

The voice of my servant snapped me out of my daydream of the past. "Um, yeah, you're right!"

"They smell wonderful too~" Leo then bent down so he was level with the flowers and sniffed them.

"Heh...you look weird doing that." I snickered.

"Don't be like that, Elliot." His slim hands stroked each flower in one motion. "I know how much you like this flower too. It is very gorgeous, after all."

I too smiled. "Yeah, they really are."

"I'm glad you agree. Now," He straightened up and walked over too me. "Isn't about time for lunch?"

"Probably. We'll be going to Sablier soon anyway."

"Oh, yes." He laughed, his voice full of joy. "I must of been really enjoying myself. I almost forgot about it!"

* * *

Like he had promised me, we set out for Sablier shortly after lunch. It made me smile, because, I was looking forward to seeing the children there. I knew they missed me, and they very well enjoyed my company. There was a piano there too, so I could be able to play those graceful notes echoed by the cords inside the piano.

On the way there, I sat back and casually read a book. Elliot just stared blankly out the window all the while. I guess I had become totally immersed in my book, because at some point it would seem that Elliot fell asleep. I smiled, amused with this sight, and I continued to read on throughout this slow ride.

Sablier was a place in ruins, crippled for life because of the events during the tragedy. People lived in the shadows, but the population was scare the closer you got to the center, where the power of the Abyss was strong. Down there was the place where things had changed, where I had cast off my only friend to his death. That was the past though, I mean, Elliot is right here, alive and well. There had also been a time when we had joined up with Oz-kun and Alice-kun as they searched for Gilbert, Elliot's older (adopted) brother.

It was good that we were returning here, no problems to disrupt our visit. Elliot, however, seemed the slightest bit tense.

_'What could he possibly be thinking about?' _I wondered, still reading my book. _'Could it be about Sablier? Nah, there's nothing there to be afraid of.'_

I knew of the dark secrets my former home held, and I wondered what had become of the Chain, Humpty Dumpty, this time around. It could be still lurking around down there, but as long as we go nowhere near that chasm, we'll both be fine.

None the less, things would turn out alright. By the time we got to Sablier, Elliot was awake. Actually, more specifically, we had arrived at the House of Fianna.

"At last, we're here." I said, stepping out of the carriage.

"Well, you can't really say it's a breath of fresh air." Elliot remarked. It was slightly true; the air around this place wasn't really the clearest, especially near the chasm.

"Yes, yes."

Elliot lead the way, slightly in front of me as we walked, but I was still by his side. Once inside the orphanage, it hadn't been even five minutes before...

"Leo~!"

"Leo onii-chan!"

The children had found me and Elliot, two of them practically tackling me as they ran up to us. "Ha-ha~ Hello, little ones. I missed you."

"We missed you too, Leo!"

Whenever I saw these children, it made me feel warm inside. It had been at one point I lived here, silently living here for two years. Even after I left, these children were my one and only 'siblings'. I cared about each and every one of them, even if I can never live the life they could live; because they can't see the golden flecks of light that float in the air, or hear the voices in their head that would constantly whisper things in their ear.

At least I had them and Elliot.

"Man, they're stuck to you like glue." Elliot said with a scowl, prying me from the children.

"It's alright. They just missed me."

"Leo, will you play us a song?" One of them asked.

"Hmm? But, I just got here." I said, trying to reason with them. "I'm a bit worn out from the long journey."

"Please, Leo~?"

I knew it, I couldn't resist. "Fine, I'll comply, but just one song, okay." I then turned to Elliot, that usual look of his on his face. "Elliot, why don't you go inform the Sister that we're here. Oh. And see if there's anything around here we can help out with. I'll be in the piano room with these two, although, others will soon gather."

"Whatever." He answered, rolling his eyes.

* * *

"Which song would you like me to play?" I asked the children as I pushed the casing of the keys open.

"That one you used always play." Came the reply.

_'Hmm, is it old piece I first composed? 'The Atramentum Heart'?' _I wondered. Perhaps it was, but I didn't know for certain. Oh well. I still kept that composition around, and I did bring my music folder with me. If they wanted to hear it, so be.

"You want me to play it, correct?"

They nodded vigorously, and I chuckled.

"Okay, I'll do it. Let's see if I remember how to play this one."

I flexed my fingers before letting them hover over the keys for a moment. It had been a while since I last played the piece, so I didn't know if my skills with this one was rusted or not. Well, ready or not, here goes nothing.

My fingers moved elegantly as I played the opening sequence. Like a strange magic, the song comes back to me and I know each note I want play.

What made me write this song anyway?

Oh yeah! I remember!

It was when I lived here, I had been looking up stuff on the language of flowers (having been slightly interested at the time). Upon my findings, I stumbled upon a different book, one that had the word 'artamentum' written on the front. I didn't really know what it meant, so I used it in the title of my first composition. I kind of wrote it out of how alone I felt, with only my books to surround me.

Later on, I learned that it meant something along the lines of 'black'. I figure that's fitting for me, in a way. It sort of fits that feeling of always being alone, trapped in this place I couldn't share with anyone else. Perhaps that's why this song kind of held a sad melody with it.

However, I suppose I'm not really out of place anymore. I have someone...someone that really cares about me.

I continued to play, each key resonating a note that the song stitches together in melody. How long it has been since I last played such a song, one that was my first piece I ever wrote? However, as I came to the end, my hands slowed down, and at the last note, I looked out the window of the room and into the haze outside.

The black haze that was used as the cover for this place. Beyond that was the chasm. Somehow, even today, Sablier gave off some kind of foreboding, making me uneasy. Why?

Upon thinking about this, I suddenly became lightheaded.

"Nnn..." The keys blurred for a moment before shutting my eyes and putting a hand to my head.

"Leo?" One of the children called out to me. I breathed out a sigh and opened my eyes.

"Heh...don't worry. I'm-"

"Leo."

Now that voice startled me. I literally jumped up in my seat before whipping my head around to see Elliot looking down at me. Funny, I hadn't heard him come in. He was probably silently watching, like he would all the time when I lived here. He too had been entranced by my skills all those times, and I think he was a tad bit jealous. My master knew very well I taught myself how to play piano.

"Elliot, when did you come in?" I started plainly. "Don't startle me like that."

"Well, I thought you would of heard me come in." He frowns in a way that is usual for him. "What's with you? Tired already?"

I shook my head. "No. Just reminiscing about this piece. It was the first one I wrote, after all."

"If you say so."

"Calm down, Elliot. Everything's okay."

Looking at his face, I felt a strange ache in my chest; Slight, but noticeable to only myself.

"Everything's okay."

* * *

"Wanna know something?"

"What?"

"Dreams are so weird."

I didn't lift my gaze from outside the window, watching the sunset (now back at the Nightray manor). I was still paying attention to him anyway. "Why do you say that?"

"Because, the one I had a few days ago was so strange."

When he said that, I nervously gulped and turned to face him. "What was it?"

"I dreamt that you somehow got your hands on a wine bottle and made me chase you all over the place. All because you were drunk!" Elliot explained, looking irritated by recalling it.

So, I decided to tease him. "Really~? Then what happened?"

"You went into the piano room and started singing something weird, whining when I tried to shut you up. Then you passed out and I had to carry you back to your room." He had a light blush dusted across his face as he finished this amusing tale.

"It must have been quite a day in that dream. I would never do such a thing in the real world."

"You were okay in the end, but I don't want you doing something as stupid as that. You hear me?"

"Yes, Elliot." I rolled my eyes, concealed under my long bangs and my glasses.

"At least it wasn't a nightmare." He blurted out, not hesitating.

"Oh...yeah." My eyes shifted down to the floor. "That's good."

"I hate them so much. I mean, I haven't had one recently,"

_'Cue mental sigh of relief.'_ My thoughts whispered.

"But, I hate it when it does happen, especially when it involves you."

_'Eh?'_

I was confused at the sudden statement. "Elliot-"

"Dreams can be realistic sometimes, right?" He asked, looking up at me and not rambling on about something else. "Well, not that it maters. Dreams are dreams."

"Yes, you're right."

I closed my eyes once more, but I heard the sudden sound of footsteps. When I opened my eyes again, Elliot was standing right in front of me.

"What about you?" Elliot's question was straight forward, looking at me dead on. "You haven't been haunted by any of those twisted dreams, have you?"

For a moment, I stare, gazing into those eyes. He was so close to me, I couldn't look away. Elliot was the only person who cared, the only one who understood. He took me in and gave me a place to belong, even if I can't share my true secrets with him. Although, being here, by Elliot's side, that's enough.

_'It's enough.'_

"Elliot." I started.

"Yeah, Leo?"

"Elliot, I-"

"Elliot!" A voice yelled outside our room. "Elliot, please open up!"

Pounding on the door soon began and me and my master went to see what all the ruckus was about. I mean, what could possibly be so urgent?

Take a guess who was anxious waiting for us. Surprisingly, it was Vanessa, Elliot's sister.

"Oh, hey, Vanessa." Elliot casually said.

"No time! Thank goodness you're alright!" The dark haired woman said, sounding a bit out of breath.

But I knew the person next to me could sense that something was off. "What? Vanessa, what is it?"

"And...well, your servant is okay too."

"Yes, he's fine, but what the hell is it?"

For a second, the eyes of Vanessa darted away. So, I carefully ventured, "Vanessa-sama?"

"What?" Elliot's voice had grown soft. "What's going on?"

I unconsciously knew what she would say.

"There was another case of beheading. It was the Headhunter."

That ache in my chest was back once more.


End file.
